E-News Archive
In case you missed them, here are articles from our recent Sustainability Newsletters and some of our most popular sustainability videos.
New UMass Chan clerkship connects environmental justice and patient care
The inaugural Community, Climate and Care: Environmental Justice in Action population and community health clerkship took place over two weeks in April and enrolled five third-year medical students. See article, May 2026.
Office of Sustainability launching ‘Together for a Healthy Planet’ strategy
The Office of Sustainability is introducing a new motto, Together for a Healthy Planet, to reflect the Medical School’s sustainability efforts campuswide for the next five years. See article, January 2026.
Simple stormwater pollution prevention tips
Stormwater runoff picks up litter and oil from vehicles in parking lots which can pollute rivers, lakes and streams when it flows into storm drains and downstream. You can help by following these simple pollution solutions to keep local waterways clean and healthy. See article, January 2026.
New system to save energy on heating and cooling in basic science wing of Medical School building
A ninth-level penthouse is being added to the basic science wing of the Medical School building to house new mechanical and electrical equipment. See article, Nov. 2025.
LEED Gold
The new education and research building at UMass Chan Medical School, named the Paul J. DiMare Center, is certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Buildings Council. See article, March 2025.
Trash walking
Imagine saving enough plastic trash bin liners in one year to cover 1,350 football fields. That is just one of the potential benefits of the centralized trash program now in play across the campus. See article, March 2025.
Holiday clothes swapping
There were plenty of sweaters, most of which are not ugly at all. On Dec. 5, people strolled through the Medical School lobby, some dropping off clothes and all perusing the tables and racks filled with clothing left by others, looking for a stylish fit. See article, December 2024.
Cold cash
A Mass Save incentive program that offers discounts for purchasing energy efficient laboratory grade freezers and refrigerators is gaining popularity across campus. In 2024, UMass Chan labs used the incentive program 25 times to replace old -80° freezers and high-performance refrigerators See article, December 2024.
Stormwater—we can dig it
Most of the rainwater or melting snow that runs off UMass Chan Medical School’s Worcester campus ends up in Lake Quinsigamond. But first, it passes through catch basins in the campus drainage system designed to trap material carried by the water flow and thus protect the lake. See article, June 2024.
UMass Chan is a Bee Campus
UMass Chan Medical School is now a certified Bee Campus, meeting standards set by a national organization to help sustain pollinators for their essential role in the health of the environment. See article, May 2024.
A bright idea saves energy at Pine Tree lot
All of the lighting poles and fixtures in the Pine Tree parking lot and along South Road adjacent to the lot have been replaced with fixtures that use less than half of the electricity of the old ones, while providing better uniform illumination of the parking area. See article, February 2024.
Climate change drives curriculum change
From the growing range of once-only tropical diseases to the impact of extreme heat and violent storms, the toll on human health wrought by climate change is being integrated into the UMass Chan Medical School curriculum. See article, Feb. 2024.
A Silver for Sustainability
UMass Chan Medical School boosted its sustainability score and earned a new three-year Silver designation from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a program run by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. See article, December 2023.
All Charged Up with Jay Leno
With 76 electric vehicle charging ports on campus and more planned, UMass Chan earned an Electric Vehicle Transition Leadership award from AltWheels, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable transportation. See article, December 2023.
Greener Buying Award
UMass Chan Medical School has earned a coveted award for leadership in sustainable electronics procurement, utilizing computers, monitors, printers and other digital networking equipment that are more efficient and easier to recycle. It's the 2023 EPEAT Purchasing Award “for excellence in procurement of sustainable technology”. See article, August 2023.
Test Driving Electric Cars and Bikes
Some rode on two wheels, others on four, while many just looked on, kicked the tires and asked questions of the experts on hand to learn more about electric vehicles at the “Ride and Drive” event on campus last month. See article, December 2023.
No More Plastic Bottled Beverages
Starting this summer at the Sherman Center Café, and evolving over the coming academic year, the café operator NexDine will begin replacing plastic bottles with glass, aluminum or cardboard alternatives. See article, August 2023.
VA Clinic gets LEED
The building housing the VA’s new community-based outpatient clinic at UMass Chan Medical School has been certified by two organizations that evaluate buildings for their energy efficiency and sustainability, in both construction and operations. See article, February 2023.
A Blueberry Patch on Campus
At the peak of the fall planting season, UMass Chan medical students and staff planted seven blueberry bushes in the UMass Chan Community Garden. See video, December 2022
Top 10 for Building Performance
In a highly respected review of academic campus sustainability by Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)., UMass Chan Medical School ranked in the top 10 for building performance this year. See article, December 2022.
Electronics Recycling Event
The morning brought gray skies and waves of rain, but the campus home electronics recycling event on June 9 was not a washout. See article, August 2022.
Stormwater Plan Update
UMass Chan is in the fifth and final year of its new stormwater management plan development, to comply with federal regulations issued in July of 2018. See article, August 2022.
New Sustainability Leader
Kortni Wroten has joined UMass Chan Medical School’s Facilities Management Department as the new campus sustainability and energy manager. See article, August 2022.
Green Lawns and Stormwater
The way people care for their lawns has a big impact on the water quality of the nearby lakes, rivers, and streams. When it rains, stormwater runoff makes its way into local waterways, carrying with it excess fertilizer, yard waste, pollutants and trash. See article, May 2022.
All Charged Up
UMass Chan Medical School has installed 32 electric vehicle charging ports, with financial support from National Grid as part of the company’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station Program. The new 16 dual-port level 2 stations were installed in the West parking garage. See article, January 2022.
Sustainable Deconstruction
The steel, stone and concrete recently removed from the UMass Chan Medical School Worcester campus during deconstruction and excavation for a new research and education building will soon find its way into new building projects across the region. See article, October 2021.
UMass Chan Medical School Wins State Climate Award
At a virtual awards ceremony in December, UMass Chan Medical School received a 2020 Leading by Example Award from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in recognition of the school’s successful initiatives to improve energy efficiency and sustainability on campus. See article, April 2021
Water Not Down the Drain
Glassware in the laboratories throughout the Aaron Lazare Research Building are clean and greener than ever, after a five-month, $2.5 million project, to replace all of the glass washing and sterilization systems. See article, Nov. 2020.
Shut the Sash Video
Keeping the fume hood sash at its proper height is important both for safety and for saving energy. See a video produced by Students in the Emerging Professoinals Summer Internship Program at UMass Chan. See article, August, 2018
Chemical Surplus Program Promotes Reuse
Right now, in research labs across the campus, there are some 16,779 unique chemicals in use. With that kind of volume, there is always a little extra. See article, March 2018.